2. THE TALE OF TAILS
Read Previous Chapter here.
Previously on Heads or Tails: Manov's village men had decided to be on lookout at the crop fields and set up a watch post in the northwest field.
In the forest next to the village...
When the meeting was happening at Manov's village there was a concurrent discussion taking place at the jungle next to the village. The forest tribesmen were enraged and furious.
"What else can we do? They have snatched our land, stripped away the trees and spoiled our habitat. We are forced to steal food for our own survival" said one of the males from the all-male troop. They were responsible to protect the tribe and search for food.
"But that cannot be a reason to attack the kids" responded the only female in the meeting, who was representing the adult female troop which takes care of raising the tribe's offspring.
"We did not intend to harm the kids. Aggression is in our bloods and it is our nature. We cannot control that" replied another male.
The dominant male, the head of the tribe was listening to everyone's opinion in silence and with rapt attention.
"What if they come inside the jungle and attack us? Harming their kids will only enrage them further. We do not have any weapons to defend us. They are superior in weaponry to us. We will be defeated in our own homeland and forced to abscond" said the female who was really worried now.
"Are you not aware that even the females are now forced to hunt and search food for our offspring? What do you have to say for that?" There were arguments back and forth between the members turning the meeting into a cacophony of noise.
The tribe head raised his hand and screeched. Everyone went silent immediately. "Taking into account the other tribes surrounding the village, we are totally five communities who has been living here for many years peacefully. Ever since the village men came, they took our trees, land and our space. This is a game of survival. All the other tribes have started clashing with the village clan already. And we started the game only today. Stealing food from them is the only way to our survival. And aggression is our birth right. It is the gift that nature gave us. And we will do whatever it takes to keep our tribe thriving. We will hunt food from the northwest region tonight", pronounced the head of the tribe. All the tribes men cheered and roared loudly with intense passion.
The female was worried. She had an insight that something terrible is going to happen this time. But she can't speak anything against the word of tribe head. He is the dominant male of the tribe. This was the only tribe that didn't involve in stealing food from the village clan until yesterday. But after the morning incident and with this decision, now all the five communities who has been living in the forests surrounding the village are prone to target the village clan.
And so, at nightfall a group of five males from the all-male troop, began to creep towards the northwest field of the village. They rushed past the bushes and were nearing the crop fields. But they were not expecting that the village men would be on lookout and ready to launch an attack against them.
[To be continued]